Carrot Cashew Soup

When you are on a vacation, time flies in the blink of an eye. I have no clue where did the last week go. We have been relaxing and indulging on too many yummy dishes. At this rate, I am sure we will gain a couple of pounds by the end of this trip. I am not getting too bothered about it now but I plan to lose it once I return back home. Maybe, I'll just indulge on soups for a week. I never need a season for soup and I am always looking for new recipes. Today, I have one of my very dear friends Radhika from Just Homemade with this luscious, vibrant shade Carrot Cashew Soup. Thank you Radhika for finding time out of your busy schedule to prepare this beautiful meal and sharing it with us.

Hello! So very happy to be guest posting for Kankana (I fondly call her Kana :)) on her beautiful blog while she’s on vacation. You know, she’s my first virtual blogging buddy and we’ve been good friends since early 2011. That is something quite special and amazing to cherish.

So, here I am bringing you this vibrant, creamy and utterly satisfying but ridiculously easy to make Carrot Cashew Soup.

We've been drinking soups of different kinds throughout the past season during the merry go round bouts of cold and cough which happen ever so frequently with growing little ones around. Unlike other soups that I’d been making on autopilot mode, this particular soup happened without much planning, out of the refrigerator remnants and a last minute idea. Because, the one thing that I always, always stock up in my refrigerator is Carrots. Besides, Carrot Soup is a sure shot hit in our household. For one, no coaxing or convincing the little ones and two, Mr. K also loves soup anytime. He’s non-fussy anyways.

A famous chef once said, for the best carrot soup, add a little tomato and vice versa. I'm following it to the T in this recipe. Sometimes, you never know what might inspire you! Now as the weather changed and the temperature continues to steadily soar, soup is still on our menu for the want of a lighter dinner.

The beauty of this soup is that it is so flexible and customizable to your varying moods. For kids, you can add cooked pasta of choice and call it a day. Addition of cashews makes it creamier. But you can try swapping cashews with almonds and it will be just as good. Why? Because there's proof here that carrots and almonds are a made for each other pair.

Variations

• Add shallots or onions with or without garlic and ginger
• Use fresh basil leaves instead of the dried flakes
• Add red chilli powder or flakes or cayenne pepper if you need additional heat
• Dash of lemon or lime can also be squirted in place of tomatoes for a spike of acidity
• For an added dimension, you can roast the carrots instead of cooking
• Use Delhi (pinkish red) carrots when in season, for their distinct color and flavor

I am not a vegan per se and I do not put in extra efforts to vegan-ize a recipe. However, some recipes become effortlessly vegan themselves. This might be one such. Once you make it, you’ll know you’ll neither have to reach for the recipe nor have to make the same recipe twice.

My kids loved it. This might just become the soup your kids will request on repeat mode.

Carrot Cashew Soup

Kankana Saxena

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Ingredients

 

• 3 medium carrots (washed, peeled and chopped into chunks)
• 1 to mato
• 10 cashews
• 3 cups water for cooking
• 1 tablespoon butter/ coconut oil for vegans
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin/ jeera powder
• himalayan pink salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ½ teaspoon dried basil flakes
• melted Ghee / olive oil for vegans for garnish
• cilantro for garnish (I love the native ("Naati" variety that we get here in India))

Instructions

 

• Pressure cook carrot chunks, tomato and cashews in 3 cups water. Alternatively cook covered on stovetop.
• When the cooker cools, reserving the water, strain the contents into a blender and puree. Make sure to peel off the tomato skin before adding to the blender jar.
• Heat butter in a large pot. When butter melts, add cumin/jeera powder and stir. Pour in the creamy vege puree to the pot along with the reserved vegetable stock from the cooker container. Get the remaining stuck puree in the blender by swishing some water or stock and pour into the pot.
• Sprinkle dried basil flakes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to your taste and bring it to a gentle boil.
• Switch off and serve it hot alongside some crusty bread or toast, drizzled with drops of ghee or extra virgin olive oil on top and garnished with fresh cilantro.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Servings